Falling Stars
by SrJoan
Summary: Danny can't remember where he is. How did he get here? Why is he here? And why does he get the feeling that something is horribly wrong?


**Falling Stars**

Danny peeled his eyes open groggily. Expecting to see the ceiling of his bedroom, Danny was met with a dazzling nighttime sky. Not the glow in the dark stickers on his ceiling that always fell off; a real one. There's this warmth beneath him, spreading slowly, providing a stark contrast to the nipping autumn air above him.

He tried to sit up but was met with a sharp pain all over his body. Danny let out a sharp gasp and immediately fell back to the ground. He was surrounded by darkness yet again as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. Nope, that was a bad idea. Maybe he would just stay here while he recovered. Yes, that sounded nice. He would just go home once he could stand up properly. Sighing, Danny decided to look around to at least gather how far the trudge home would be.

Opening his eyes a second time, Danny once again was met with the stars. Danny smiled up at them, marveling at their beauty before prying them away. Turning his head around, the next thing Danny saw was the trees, reaching towards the sky around him. He felt the soft grass beneath his fingertips, slowly becoming damp from the fluid underneath him. A slight breeze wafted over him, smelling of the crisp autumn leaves. The park, he realized. He was in the park. Thank goodness that was only a couple of blocks away from home. 

Danny focused back on the stars; they were so beautiful this time of year. Danny stared up at the sky, longing for a time when he could touch it. He's always wanted to be an astronaut. It's one of his dreams that he refuses to give up on. They fascinated him; so far away, and yet they made their way to Earth to share their beauty. It never ceased to amaze him.

Time passed and Danny still couldn't move. He wasn't sure how long he was laying there; it could've been a few minutes or a few hours. The only thing he could focus on were his surroundings. It was such a lovely night. The sky was a deep navy blue and there was no cloud in sight. Away from the bustling city, the crisp clear air and soft grass beneath him made everything all the more perfect. There was hardly a sound, just the occasional animal or rustle of leaves across the ground. But something told him that he was supposed to be somewhere else. 

That one fleeting thought in the back of his head made Danny think. Where else should he be at this hour? If he wasn't supposed to be here, then where should he be? Danny pondered this for a few seconds, but easily got lost in the stars again. They twinkled just like Sam's eyes when they were out flying. That made it all the better for... 

Wait a minute. 

Sam! 

Danny was late. He was super late. He was I'm-gonna-kill-you-when-you-get-back late with his girlfriend. He was supposed to meet Sam at the diner at sunset. Judging by how dark the star-lit sky was, Danny knew he was in trouble with her later. 

Danny tried to get up again, but found he couldn't. As for that matter, Danny couldn't move anything anymore. Not even his head. His whole body had gone completely numb. From what, he hadn't the faintest idea. He knew that he was injured, but he thought it would pass. It hadn't been this bad when he tried to stand up the first time. Sighing, Danny relaxed, trying to decide what to do next. He was stuck on the ground, staring up at the stars. While that didn't seem like a terribly bad thing to do, he was left to wonder why he was here and not on his date with Sam. 

Danny thought as hard as he could, struggling to remember what happened on the way to his date. Strangely, everything was becoming harder to focus on. Danny was having a really tough time thinking straight at this point. Something was definitely wrong. He's been in much more pain than this before. He didn't understand what could possibly be wrong. 

Figuring nothing would help him here, Danny made yet another attempt to stand up. Again, he failed. He couldn't even move his head to survey his surroundings. He was just stuck. Staring at the stars. 

Danny was starting to get really lightheaded now. The warmth beneath him had spread to every part of his body, and the air began to smell of copper. The grass was now drenched with the warmth, and slightly sticky. His stark, black, bedraggled hair was soaked with whatever substance coated his back. Danny didn't understand. What was happening? 

Refusing to give up that easily, Danny made another attempt. He was not going to lay here and wait for help without telling Sam he was sorry for everything he's done in the past few days. God, she was probably worried sick. He was in so much trouble when he got back. Danny struggled to move for what felt like an eternity before giving in. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. His numb body made sure of that. 

As Danny began to feel worse, his vision started to fade. Black fuzz started to swarm his peripherals. Danny tried swatting it away but with no success. He blinked rapidly at the stars, trying to clear his vision, but to no avail. The blackness kept approaching until Danny couldn't see much of anything. The only thing he could do was pray the darkness went away. 

As Danny started up at the sky, it became hard to breathe. His vision was almost non-existent, and he couldn't move. The only thing that was still completely functional was his hearing. But with each breath he took, Danny felt himself growing weaker. He finally knew what was happening to him. He was surprised it took him this long to realize it. God, he was stupid. Even as he heard someone approaching him in the distance, Danny knew that there was no saving him. He would be gone by the time they reached him. 

As he felt what was left of his life slip away, Danny's glazed blue eyes locked up on the stars. They seemed to be falling out of the sky now that his vision was nearly gone, just like the ones on his ceiling. Danny couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the irony. He had always loved the stars. Maybe now he could join them, like he always wanted. 

Danny took one last sharp breath of the crisp autumn air before exhaling for the last time. His eyes glazed over, smiling up at the sky. The stars were so beautiful; he wondered how far they would travel before they reached Earth. All he knew was that when stars fall, they fall hard. At least Danny was going down a bit more gently. As he felt his life slip away, he managed to get out one final word.

"Stars." 


End file.
